Nonrefillable closure for bottles and other containers



May, 1938- l. G. JACKSON Er AL 2,115,721

NONREFILLABLE CLOSURE FOR B OTTLES AND OTHER' CONTAINERS Filed 0017. 3, 1936 llllillllhllllllv v mW/1,

A RNEYS CII Patented May 3, 1938 NETED STATES @HQE Gilbert Jackson, New York, N. Y., and Joseph F. Maher, Ridgefield Park, N. J.

Application October 3,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to closures and it particularly relates to nonrellable closures for bottles and similar liquid containing receptacles.

In Patent No. 1,348,116, dated July 27, 1920 and in the co-pending applications, Serial No. 697,892, led November 1, 1933, and Serial No. 742,696, led September 4, 1934, there are disclosed nonrellable bottle closures or caps, which have ior their objects, the prevention of the relling of bottles after they had been emptied.

In said patent and applications, there are disclosed hollow valve members,which are enclosed in and cooperate with a valve seat casing member inserted into the mouths of bottles. Above the valves are positioned locking balls, the balls being conned between the valve members on one side, and concave contact members at the other.

In these closures, as well as other types of closures, with change in temperature, as when the bottles provided with the closures are taken from indoors to outdoors in winter, or are moved from a warm place to a cool place, either indoors or outdoors, there are times when the vapors or air above the liquid in the bottle will tend to condense or contract resulting in the creation of a partial vacuum.

This makes pouring rather difficult, as such a vacuum will tend to hold the valve closed, even against the weight of the liquid in the inverted bottle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a nonrellable bottle closure oi the type above described, in which the valve member and its associated parts may be 'most inexpensively and easily constructed from readily available materials, as for example, ceramic materials, and which will be readily operated to permit pouring, even when cooling of the bottle results in a partial vacuum.

ther objects will appear during the course of the iollowing specification.

The essential feature of the present invention resides in the provision of breathing openings in the closure structure, permitting passage of vapors to the interior of the bottle from the at-v mosphere when partial vacuums are created, but preventing passage of liquid.

These passageways may be most conveniently formed in a ceramic valve material, by inserting thin flexible wires or needles into the ceramic material when molded or formed and still soft, and before firing and vitriiicatlon.

The needles or wires should preferably be of such resiliency as to be deflected by harder particles in the ceramic and follow an irregular path 1936, serial No. 103,810

through such ceramic. VThis sort of a passage will more readily tend to block liquid passage, while permitting gaseous flow.

It has been found most suitable in one embodiment to provide a valve casing having an upper portion, exteriorly exposed, and a lower portion to communicate with the interior of the container or bottle.

The lower portion of the valve casing may be of a decreased diameter so as to t conveniently into the n eck of the bottle, a shoulder being preferably provided on the casing to limit insertion thereof.

Interiorly positioned in the lower portion of the valve casing is a valve member, the lower end of which valve member is conformed so as to cooperate with a valve seat interiorly formed in the bottom of the casing adjacent the interior opening thereof above described.

The lower portion of the casing is preferably provided with the breathing openings in the side walls thereof above the valve seat.

In the accompanying drawing in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several featuresoi the invention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the nonrellable valve device of the invention on a bottle top;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View upon the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 31s a transverse sectional view upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the conical portion at the top of the movable valve;

Fig.V 5 is a bottom view of the valve structure;

Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of the hollow valve member with its cover portion removed;

Fig. l is a diagrammatic sectional view upon an enlarged scale showing one of the bleeder or breathing passageways; n

Figs. 8 and 9 are side sectional and elevational views respectively illustrating how the valve casing and the valve structure are handled and supported during firing.

Referring to Fig. 1, the bottle or other container B is provided with a cylindrical mouth I0. The bottle is adapted to receive alcoholic -beverages or any other liquid to be dispensed. The upper exposed cylindrical valve casing member I2 is provided with a lower cylindrical insert portion I3 of reduced diameter, which is inserted in the opening I0 in the mouth or neck of the bottle B, preferably with a slight clearance.

'I/'he lower insert portion I`3 is provided with a flange 8 at vits upper end, which lits into lthe shoulder 9 on the interior of the upper casing section I2. The upper section I2 and the lower section I3 are held together by sealing wax 'I, which is preferably of a material not aiected by alcoholic beverages or other liquids which may be contained in the bottle B.

It is noted that the shoulder 9 is enlarged at 6 to receive the sealing wax body 'I. The upper casing I2 is provided with an exterior ange or peripheral extension I4 which cooperates with a corresponding projection I5 on the bottle. The flange I4 and the ange I5 are held together by the aluminum ferrule I6, said aluminum ferrule compressing the cork gasket 52 between the flanges I4 and I5 to form a liquid-tight connection.

The casing I3 is provided with a lower opening Il, the upper part of which is provided with the spherical depression I9 above the groove I8, said depression iS serving as a valve seat to cooperate with the spherical surface 20 on the valve member V.

The valve member V, as indicated at 25, projects downwardly past the conical valve seat I9 into the opening I'I and is slightly flattened during the course of manufacture (see Fig. 9). The lower portions of the fins are cut off substantially above the bottom 26, as indicated at 2l (see Figs. 1 and 6), so that they will clear the valve seat I9.

As shown in Fig. 3, the fins 23 form the flow passages 28, which permit ready egress of liquid from the mouth IE of the bottle B past the valve body V, when the valve is lifted from its seat I9.

The upper portions of the iins 23 of the valve body 22, are also cut off below the top of the valve body 22, as shown at 23 in Figs. 1 and 6. Onto the upper portion of the cup 22 is placed the lower contact element 38 for locking ball 3|.

The contact element 3B is glazed to the top of the valve member V. The sides or edges of the disk member 38 extend beyond the body 22 as shown in Figs. l and 9.

The ball contact member 33 is suitably shaped to cause the ball 3i, as shown in Fig. 1, to roll to th-e outside of the casing I2 against the linterior wall of the middleor intermediate chamber 35 when the bottle is upright.

Although a curved conical surface 35 is shown, it is understood that other similar types of surfaces may be employed for causing the ball to roll toward the wall of the middle chamber 35 of the casing I2.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 in the upper chamber 37 of the casing l2 is positioned the concave upper ball contact member 38 with the cavity 48 having the radial ribs 45, which contact member is preferably ceramically united with the symmetrically positioned angular fins 39 of the casing I2.

The concavity or depression 48 of the element 33 is adapted to receive the ball 3I when the casing I2 is inverted with the bottle B.

When the bottle is in normal upright position,

as shown in Fig. l, the ball 3i will be diverted to the outside of the chamber 35 by the cone peak 36 so that the ball 3i will fall or roll along the slope of the upper contact member of the cone peak 35 of the lower contact member 38 to below the lower portion 4I of the member 38.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the fins 39 will form the ow passages 42, symmetrically positioned around the periphery of the chamber 3'I. These iiow passages 42 will cooperate with the flow passages 28 of Fig. 3 to permit liquid to ow past the valve 2l and the contact member 38.

The casing element I 2 is provided with a center opening 50 which cooperates with the passages 42 past the member 38 and the passages 28 past the valve member V and with the opening II in the lower part of the casing I2, whereby liquid may be poured out of the inverted bottle B, when the valve V is lifted from its seat I 9.

In operation, when the bottle is in upright position or is in horizontal position, the ball 3l will fall from the cone peak 36 to the side of the chamber 35, contacting with the interior wall thereof, as indicated at Fig. 1.

When the ball 3| moves tothe side of the chamber 35, it will position itself between the lower portion 4i of the upper contact member 38 and the outside of the lower contact member 38 and will force the valve 22 against its seat I9, preventing i'low of liquid reversely from the opening 58 and through the opening I I into the bottle I0, so that the bottle cannot be refilled.

When the bottle has been turned so that its mouth is inclined downwardly with an inclination substantially below horizontal, approaching the vertical, the ball 3l will roll or slide into the concavity 4B. This will permit the Valve 22 to move from its seat I9 under the pressure of liquid in the bottleB, whereby a ready exit of liquor may take place through the opening I1, the passages 28 and 42 and the opening 50.

The upper face of the lower ball contact member 3G may also be shaped in other manners than shown to cooperate with the ball 3| and the concavity of the depression 40.

In any case, at the axis 5I, therel would be a vertical spacing between the uppermost portion of the peak 36 and the uppermost portion of the depression 4?, greater than the maximum diameter of the ball. Toward the walls of the chamber 35 this spacing should decrease so that the ball will have substantially no clearance as it moves under the influence of gravity along the peaked surface 36 toward the exterior of the chamber 35 and away from the axis 5I.

'I'he present construction is particularly advantageous inasmuch as it is possible to make the valve member V of a ceramic material. By firing the elements I2, 38 and I3 assembled as shown in Fig. 8, with a glaze at 65 and without a glaze at 6E, the expense of construction is materially decreased. The valve member V is red as shown in Fig. 9 with a glaze at 61, the bottom 26 becoming flattened during the firing period.

The recesses |30, shown in Figs. l and 4, cov operate with the recesses I 3|, shown in Figs. 1 and 5, to permit suitable tools to be applied to the casing member I3 and to the valve member V, whereby the seats I9 and 20 may be ground together.

The outer surface of the casing I2 is preferably glazed, but the other surfaces are preferably unglazed.

After the lower ball Contact element 3l! has been substantially integrally united with the valve body 22 by the firing operation, the valve will be slightly porous.

y To prevent any air from escaping from the interior of the valve body, and also to prevent any liquid from entering the valve body, maintaining its buoyancy, it is desirable to impregnate the Valve body 22 after the firing operation with a suitable other water-proofing material, which will not be soluble or affected by any liquids which may be received in the bottle I0.

Referring to the upper valve contact element 4I, the button |34 serves as a convenient means of centering the element 4| upon the ribs 39, and the ribs 45 in the cavity 40 prevent the ball from being adhesively connected to the cavity when it is Wet. The fact that the ball is not wedged, shown in Fig. 1, may be readily demonstrated by the fact that the ball can freely move around the peak of the lower contact element 30, without, however, permitting the valve 2| to be moved from its seat.

As indicated in Figs. l and 2 at 135, the exterior of the valve body I2 is preferably provided with a series of indentations or protrusions which enable the body to be conveniently gripped by a tool when the aluminum ierrule I6 is put into position.

The above construction is generally described in the copending application Ser. No. 742,692, iiled September 4, 1934.

The present invention is particularly directed to the modification of the construction of said copending application so as to relieve internal vacuums, which may draw the valve V so tightly against the seat I3 as to prevent pouring when the bottle B is inverted.

'I'he vent or leak openings 200 (see Fig. 7) are provided in the lower nipple member I3 to permit air to enter the bottle B when a vacuum is formed therein due to condensation, contraction or cooling of the vapors above the liquid level.

The breathing openings 200 as shown in Figs. .1 and 7 may be formed in the plastic ceramic material, before ring, by inserting thin flexible needles having diameters of less than 0.01 and preferably about 0.006, 0.0065, 0.007 and 0.0075 inch, the openings being of jagged formation as shown in Fig. 7 due to bending or turning of the very thin needles when they encounter hard particles in the plastic molded material.

After ring, the holes will shrink, slightly restricting the opening therethrough and the final channel of the opening 200 will be o f such a nature as to permit the vacuum to suck in air but as to prevent the liquid passing therethrough with suiiicient force as to enable any substantial entrance of liquid into the bottle past the valve.

scribed an apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various ob` jects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could bemade in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made Without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above descrip-tion or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A non-rellable closure for bottles and containers to receive alcoholic beverages and spirituous liquors, said closure consisting of a substantially cylindrical ceramic casing having a nipple portion projecting inside of the bottle or container and having openings at the ends thereof to permit dispensing of liquid from the container, said casing including a valve torpermit flow of liquid from the bottle when the bottle is inverted and to prevent flow when the bottle is upright, said valve being provided with a valve seat which is formed in said casing and with a locking device included in said casing, and said nipple of said casing being provided with a plurality of capillary passages extending in curved lines through the sides of said nipple and beyond said valve seat to permit venting of the atmosphere within said bottle or container, but to prevent substantial passage of liquid.

GILBERT JACKSON. JOSEPH F. MAI-IER, 

